


I'll Change Fate With You By My Side

by SpaceIsAThingINeed



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Bullying, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:21:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26176369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceIsAThingINeed/pseuds/SpaceIsAThingINeed
Summary: A perfect student, that was who Hong Jisoo was. It was all he was ever supposed to be. His future was set in stone; graduate high school at the top of his class, hold a perfect record, take every advanced course he could manage. Then he would become a doctor in a line of prestigious ones. That was what he was destined to do. His life would be perfect. But destiny was one thing to Hong Jisoo, and another for Joshua Hong.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Chwe Hansol | Vernon/Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Everyone, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Jeon Wonwoo, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Kim Mingyu, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Lee Chan | Dino, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Lee Seokmin | DK, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 26
Kudos: 124





	1. Chapter 1

A lavish room, sky blue curtains, an indigo duvet.

Walls lined with the most expensive artwork, bookshelves filled with novels which would make the average teenager cry. Every ounce of Hong Jisoo's room indicated he was rich. His walk-in closet contained clothing that cost more than the average family's house. But Jisoo was different compared to a large majority of people he went to school with.

He never boasted about anything, never made fun of anyone, never put himself above anyone or anything. Maybe that was the reason his peers hated him so much. No, it was far from the direct cause. They'd spit in his lunch, which his mother would take hours preparing, trip him in the hallways and cause him to spill his books and binders, which he organized alphabetically, some even stole his homework and tore it to shreds, leaving Jisoo to desperately explain, and most of the time lie, about why he didn't have his homework when the teacher asked for it.

Jisoo knew another reason why everyone was so determined to make his life a living hell, even though he didn't want to acknowledge it. He was different. Not because of his American origins, no, nobody seemed to care about that. It was because unlike everyone else who had worked hard or paid mass amounts of money to get into the esteemed private school, Jisoo simply went there because his grandfather is the principal. The other students envied him for his easy route to success.

Perhaps the people he had been forced to work with in his group project would treat him differently, for the sake of their grades. They seemed to like chemistry, and maybe their like for the subject would overshadow their hatred for Jisoo. He let out a shaky breath as he finished buttoning his blazer, the rose-quartz contrasting with the serenity colored tie he wore. He was thankful for the uniform, his actual wealth at school was never visible to others, and Jisoo liked to keep it that way. That would give people even more of a reason to bully him.

"Make sure you have a good day at school sweetie," his mother gave him a kiss on the forehead before he left, as she had done since he was a kid, but Jisoo didn't mind, he loved his mother very much. She'd done her best raising him after her husband had died, and was determined to make Jisoo's life absolutely _perfect,_ and if perfect meant cutting ties with her side of the family, then so-be-it. Jisoo didn't have to meet _them._

He didn't have to witness the carnage and violence. Jisoo would be different. She was sure.

Jisoo waved his mother bye, picking up his white backpack, and heading to his driveway, where his Sedan was parked. Normally his mother would've driven him to school, but as Jisoo had his license and was now a senior, he preferred to drive himself. He could've walked to school if he wanted, but he preferred driving. There was less of a chance he'd run into his schoolmates on the way.

He arrived at the school, parking in the spots designated for students, and prepared to exit his car before a coffee of some sort, maybe a latte, was thrown at his windshield. He grimaced, today must've been a bad day for one of his bullies, and that usually meant an even worse day for himself.

He stepped out of the car and was greeted by snickering and three shadows looming over him. The first, and the boy who was closest to him, was Boo Seungkwan, a sophomore who'd transferred from a prestigious private school in Jeju. He'd disliked Jisoo from the moment they'd met when Jisoo had tried to correct him on a mistake he'd made, it seemed to have made Seungkwan feel inferior. He was also the one to throw the latte. He had a sneer on his face and was looking at Jisoo with disdain, a hand on his hip. "Aw, sorry about that, I thought I'd seen a bug, but it turns out it was just you," the two behind him didn't say much, but a snicker escaped from the boy on the right. Kwon Soonyoung, a junior, he was basically Seungkwan's right-hand man, and usually did whatever the younger told him to. He only ever interacted with Jisoo when Seungkwan was around, and their interactions were never positive. The boy on Seungkwan's left, a sophomore whose name was Lee Seokmin never actually made any effort to interact with Jisoo, either positive or negative, though Jisoo caught him onlooking whenever another student had bullied Jisoo in the halls, only when Seungkwan was never around.

All three of them were childhood friends, growing up as neighbors. They were practically famous around school for their wealth, with all three of their families paying mass amounts of money to get into the school. It was no surprise they envied Jisoo, who'd done nothing to enter. He jumped when a hand landed to the side of him, and instinctively tried to make himself smaller.

"You're lucky that barista got my order wrong," Seungkwan smirked at him, "or else something much more _damaging_ would've happened to your car." Jisoo grimaced, Seungkwan _hated_ when people got his order wrong. He'd seen the boy throw fits and tantrums, like a spoiled child, and Jisoo never wanted to be the person to get caught up in the middle of it.

Soonyoung smirked from behind Seungkwan as he whispered an idea to Seokmin, whose face grimaced only slightly. "Kwannie, don't you think he'd have such a _fun_ time cleaning this off of his car? Why not tell the whole school to add more," the smile that appeared on Soonyoung's face was far from the innocence it portrayed. "You're right that _would_ be fun," Seungkwan took out his phone, the keychain on it dangling in front of Jisoo's face as if toying with him.

_"Done,"_ Seungkwan smirked. "Posted on the school message board, he'll be lucky if any less than thirty students see it." Seungkwan glanced at him, and Jisoo felt himself shrink back even more if it was even possible. "It's a shame," Jisoo recoiled as Seungkwan's hand reached out and cupped his face. "You have such a pretty face, and someone's going to have the joy of ruining it someday." Jisoo felt a pressure on his stomach as Seungkwan pushed him back into his car door with his foot, the books in his backpack digging into him.

"See you later, pretty boy," Seungkwan laughed as the three left, leaving Jisoo to shakily stand up, picking the empty coffee cup from the hood of his car, and placing it into the trash. He couldn't stand litter.

Jisoo walked into the school building with his head down, trying to make himself seem as small as possible. If Seungkwan had been any indication of how terrible his day would be, then he didn't need to attract any more attention to himself. He walked to his locker, placing the books he didn't need in, flinching when the locker next to his slammed violently. He didn't know the boy next to him very well at all, having only spared a few glances at him in chemistry, but thanks to his group project he knew the boy's name. Lee Jihoon, a junior known for his hot-headedness.

Jisoo must've stared at him for too long, the shorter turning to him and glaring. "What do you want?" Jisoo paled, he didn't need to start any sort of argument. "A-ah! Nothing, I was just distracted," Jihoon gave him a skeptical look. "Just because Boo Seungkwan threw his coffee on your car doesn't mean you get to daydream about it. And you better come to chemistry or else I'll find your ass and drag you there myself." So Seungkwan's post blew up fast. Jisoo wondered how dirty his car would be by the time lunch began, he shuddered at the thought.

* * *

Jisoo had been so preoccupied he'd almost forgotten to help the librarian organize the bookshelves, as people would never put the books back properly. She was an older lady and had difficulty organizing the vast amount of books by herself so Jisoo had offered to come in every morning to help. He'd been in the middle of organizing the mystery books, when someone pushed past him roughly, mumbling a quiet "excuse me." Jisoo wasn't expecting it, and fell backward, knocking into the other person who let out a small grunt, wrapping his arms around Jisoo's waist to keep him from hitting his head on a bookcase and getting injured.

"You must really be a lightweight if _that_ knocked you over," Jisoo felt his ears redden at the close proximity of the other person, not to mention the fact they were speaking into his ears, which were his weak point. "Sorry about that," the person let go of him, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. "Why were you in such a rush?" Jisoo asked him, looking up slightly due to their height difference. "I just wanted a book," the boy muttered looking off towards the bookshelves. Jisoo smiled, it seemed this person wasn't as standoffish as the other students. "What's your name?"

The other boy looked up at him, a little surprised. "Jeon Wonwoo. I'm a junior." Wonwoo glanced at him, a blank expression on his face that made Jisoo anxious. "I-I'm Hong Jisoo, a senior." He noticed the slightest hint of a frown in Wonwoo's expression once he'd revealed his name. "Could you move? The book I want is behind you." Was his reputation really that bad? He'd only revealed his name and Wonwoo was already acting cold towards him. "Literature." Jisoo looked up, surprised. "That was how I got into this school. I made the effort, so you should too."

Jisoo was then left alone with nothing but a nauseating feeling in his stomach.

* * *

Jisoo knew the moment he stepped into the classroom that chemistry was going to be an absolute nightmare. He frowned as he took his seat between a freshman and a sophomore. Grade levels were really only for show in his school. Anybody took whatever class they wanted, as long as it fits their ideals, and they could handle the work. He idly clicked his pen as the teacher droned on about the due date of the group project until he felt something collide with his back. He turned slightly, and noticed Jihoon behind him, a scowl on his face, and deduced that it was most likely the boy's foot. 

He turned back towards the teacher and ceased clicking his pen, fearful that Jihoon might have an outburst if he continued. "I'll give everyone time in class today to decide on a subject for their project. Don't waste this time," as soon as the words left the man's lips, everyone began getting into their assigned groups, Jisoo turning around to face Jihoon, as the other member of their group, Yoon Jeonghan, pulled up a chair.

"We'll do a project on amino acids," Jihoon was the first one to speak, and Jeonghan glanced at him, verbally agreeing. Jisoo just gave a nervous smile and nodded.

As Jihoon was about to speak again, most likely about who would do all the work-probably Jisoo, the loudspeaker went off, and everyone stopped talking. Jisoo recognized the harsh voice of his grandfather when he spoke, meaning that this was a serious matter.

_"Hong Jisoo to the principal's office immediately."_

Jisoo froze. He felt everyone in the room staring at him. He shakily got up, placing his books into his backpack, and silently made his way out the door, ignoring Jihoon's hushed swears and Jeonghan's sighs. What did he do? His grandfather _never_ called him to his office. Jisoo never caused trouble for anyone.

As he walked down the hallway, it seemed as if everything was eerily quiet, and Jisoo's heartbeat seemed as if it was ringing in his ears. He made his way to the office, greeting the secretary with nothing more than a glance.

His grandfather gestured him to sit down as soon as he'd opened the door, an undefinable expression on his face. Jisoo felt uneasy and gripped the straps of his backpack tightly. "You're not in trouble Jisoo." Jisoo let out a breath, lessening his grip. "I know you're being bullied."

Jisoo's heartbeat quickened again.

"B-bullied?" Jisoo stuttered on the words. Was it because of Seungkwan's post? "I've had my suspicions for quite some time," the man laced his fingers together. "I just didn't have enough evidence to make sure." He pulled up the school message board on his computer, and Jisoo's breath hitched at the top post.

It was Seungkwan's, and the image of Jisoo's car with coffee splattered on the windshield, among other numerous things, was undeniable. Almost the entire school had seen it, and the view count was rising. "I can't ignore it any longer." His grandfather's words were stern. "I'll transfer you to another school." Jisoo whipped his head up, a look of panic evident on his face. "Transfer schools?! Why?! The bullying isn't even that serious!" His grandfather glared at him. "I was told there have been threats." Jisoo couldn't argue, people had threatened him before, there was no way to know if anyone would ever act on those threats or not.

"I'll leave you in the custody of your aunt. Far enough from the students of this school, until the situation calms down. You can then decide if you want to return to school here." Jisoo gripped onto his backpack once again. His aunt? He'd never even met the woman and now he'd be in her custody? "The school you'll be attending is vastly different from this one. You'll need to dress differently to avoid even further bullying. I've already informed your mother. Although she was highly reluctant at first, she agreed, as long as it was the best for you."

"Jisoo, you understand this is for your safety. While at your new school, I want you to use your American name. It's almost like a new identity for you. You'll start tomorrow. Now I'm letting you go home early to prepare, good day."

Good day? This was far from a good day. Not even close to one.

As Jisoo left the office, he sensed a pair of eyes on him and instinctively looked up, and noticed one of his classmates from mathematics staring at him, a smirk on his face. Jisoo felt his face heat up, half from embarrassment and half from anger. The boy was Wen Junhui, a transfer student from China who always seemed to be unable to read the atmosphere of a room. He was a junior who seemed to flirt with Jisoo to rile him up, although it rarely worked due to Jisoo's pacifist nature.

Junhui was about to say something to him that would've most likely been highly inappropriate, but Jisoo brushed past him, solely focused on leaving the room, ignoring the hand that ghosted across his waist.

Tomorrow he'd start a new school. He'd meet people who wouldn't have a single clue who he was or what he was or why he was. Perhaps it was better. Jisoo could go a day without bullying and torment. 

Hong Jisoo would cease and Joshua Hong would begin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisoo learns about his aunt and meets someone new while clothes shopping.

Jisoo remained quiet the entire drive home. His previously filthy car had been wiped clean. Although he wasn't told who, he had high suspicions that it had been Seungkwan. The younger was probably forced to clean Jisoo's car after his grandfather had found out Seungkwan was the cause of the mess. In complete honesty, Jisoo felt kind of bad. His car had been littered with trash, and it would've been a huge hassle to clean up.

When he'd gotten home, his mother had immediately raced towards him and pulled him into a hug.

"Jisoo, I'm so sorry. I tried talking him out of it, but he was too adamant about it," she looked up towards him, and it was obvious from her puffy eyes that she had been crying. It tore at his heartstrings to see her like this and he hugged her back, grimacing at how much she was trembling.

"Mom, he said I'll be staying with my aunt. You have a sister?" Jisoo grimaced yet again when her grip tightened around him at his words. She reluctantly pulled away, wiping her eyes before responding. "I haven't spoken to my sister in eighteen years. Since you were born." His mother sat down on the couch, patting the seat next to her for Jisoo to join. "She's a few years younger than me, although she looks like she could be my daughter. I never wanted to tell you about her, Jisoo. She's not like us." His mother paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts as Jisoo sat quietly. "My sister and I never agreed on much. She was reckless, and I always tried to keep her in line, to keep her safe. It's one of the reasons I kept you away from her. I went as far as not inviting her to my husband's funeral, and I still feel terrible about it." Jisoo recalled the day and remembered his mother gazing at an empty seat occasionally, although at the time he had never thought much of it. "She isn't like me Jisoo, she won't protect you."

"What's her name?" Jisoo lightly patted the hand that came to rest on his mother's thigh. " _Eunji._ Her name is Eunji," the small sad smile his mother gave told Jisoo that his mother definitely missed her.

Jisoo smiled, wrapping his mother in a warm hug. "You'll get to see her soon." She hugged him back, voice so quiet that not even Jisoo could hear. "That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

The mall was a place Jisoo rarely visited, as most of his clothing his mother had gifted him, with her buying the clothing while Jisoo had been in school. He'd only been there a few times, mostly for meet-ups with his classmates back in middle school. Walking into one of the small stores, music playing in the background, and people of all ages scrambling past him without so much as an apology hadn't surprised him. He was used to people treating him that way.

"I'll ask one of the employees to help you pick out clothes," his mother patted him on the shoulder before walking over to the front desk and talking to the employee behind it, leaving Jisoo standing by himself next to the display of ball-caps. He looked around the small store, admiring the small but intricate decorations settled around, they made him feel comfortable with how natural they seemed. He stared out of the glass, peering into the small jewelry store across. He quickly turned around when he saw the person coming out of the doorway, frantically wishing his mother would return. It was Jeonghan, one of the people Jisoo _didn't_ want to run into, and Jisoo hoped he wouldn't see or recognize him.

Thankfully, the older had only passed by, although Jisoo could've sworn his gaze landed on the clothing store for a moment, though he brushed it off as his nerves. "Jisoo," his mother called him and he turned, greeted by his mother and a rather handsome guy, with a foreign touch to his face, who looked as if he wasn't far in age from Jisoo.

"This is Hansol, he'll help you pick out clothes," she gestured the man towards Jisoo as she gave her son a smile. "I'll be at the shop across from here if you need me." Jisoo looked over at Hansol, who was standing with his arms behind his back, shifting his weight on his legs back and forth. "Are you nervous?" Jisoo asked him, bringing a hand to his mouth to hide his small smile, it made him feel happy when people were any other emotion besides angry around him, even if they weren't the most _positive_ emotions. Hansol glanced at him, "people don't usually ask for my help. Have you ever shopped here before? I don't recognize you." Jisoo gave him a nervous smile. "I'm transferring to a new school and I need new clothes to blend in." Hansol gave him a curious look as he led Jisoo over to the shirts section. "Oh, really? What school are you transferring to?"

"I believe it's called Jesam, although I don't know much about it," Hansol instantly turned at Jisoo's words, a bright smile on his face. "Jesam?! I go there!" Hansol's expression reminded Jisoo of a child in a candy store, he was giddy and was smiling so much it made Jisoo's own cheeks hurt from looking at him. "I'm a sophomore, what're you?" Jisoo smiled at him. Had he found his first friend in who knows how long? "I'm a senior," Hansol's face turned embarrassed rather quickly as he started to apologize to Jisoo for his giddiness, although Jisoo assured him it was okay. "I kinda assumed you were younger than me, sorry." Jisoo gave him a smile and pointed in the direction of the shirts. "Aren't you supposed to be helping me pick out clothes?" Hansol once again got embarrassed, his face turning a light shade of pink as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, right."

* * *

In the end, Hansol had picked out a pair of clothes he thought would help Jisoo blend in at Jesam, of course, they both made sure Jisoo agreed with the clothing. They'd settled on an assortment of all kinds of light wash jeans, black converse, multiple long-sleeved shirts, numerous graphic t-shirts, and a black hoodie to go over them when the temperature became colder. The clothing was much simpler than Jisoo was used to, his own wardrobe consisting of mostly silk shirts, slacks, and loafers. The last step was to try them on.

Jisoo opted for a black and white striped shirt first as he figured it would be the most comfortable, and chose a pair of jeans that hugged his legs quite well. He stepped into the changing booth while Hansol stood patiently outside like the good employee he was(most of the time).

Jisoo examined himself in the mirror, striking a few poses before pulling the curtain back and stepping out, Hansol immediately looking up from his phone after he'd heard him. The starstruck look on Hansol's face nearly made Jisoo burst into laughter.

"What do you think?" Jisoo spread his arms out, showing off the whole outfit. Hansol stuttered a bit before he could find the words, face growing pinker by the second. "I-It looks good on you, er, great, uh, amazing, wait no, I mean," Jisoo giggled at Hansol's flustered state, causing Hansol to become even more flustered. "I get it. I'll try on the rest now." And the process repeated.

* * *

After witnessing Hansol's flustered sate a few more times, Jisoo called his mom on his phone, informing her that he was done. She'd quickly made her way over, commenting how she bought a simple silver ring for Jisoo, figuring it would compliment him without looking too fancy. She gave a small laugh at Hansol's embarrassed expression when she asked how the clothes had looked on her son.

"T-they fit him really well, uh I mean like not _too_ well or um, ah nevermind."

* * *

By the time Jisoo arrived home, the clock had read just a little after five, and the anxiety of his situation started to dawn on him. He'd be at a new school, with people he didn't know, in an area he wasn't familiar with. He could easily end up bullied just like his previous school, and Jisoo didn't want that.

He flinched when a hand lightly touched his back, having been lost in thought. It was his mother wearing a solemn expression. "We have to leave now Jisoo, so you can arrive on time to your new school," Jisoo nodded, picking up the suitcase he had packed moments prior, filled with necessities like his new clothes, as well as a few of his old one's he didn't want to part with, his toothbrush, and various other things.

The drive to the new town in which his school resides would feel like the longest one yet to Jisoo.

* * *

_"You saw him?"_

_"I'm certain it was him. I can recognize his cute little ear piercings anywhere."_

_"I'm going to ignore that comment. What the hell is he even doing? Shopping at a store like that after ditching us at school."_

_"Do you think this could be related to the post Seungkwan put up earlier? People actually took it seriously?"_

_"I don't know. But something is going on with Jisoo, and I'm still pissed that he got out of the group project."_

_"Weren't you going to make him do all the work?"_

_"Shut up."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter than my last, sorry.  
> I haven't been getting enough sleep lately and have been sick because of it.  
> I'm still determined to keep writing to the best of my ability though ❤


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisoo finally meets his Aunt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took over a month to get this chapter out, online school has kept me busy, and working on this chapter has been a slow process.

Jisoo should've known from the moment he had stepped out of the car and a flyer for an . . . Intimate . . . Maid service had flown into his face that this neighborhood drastically different from his previous. The ragged homeless man sitting in the alleyway, who was staring Jisoo down like predator to prey should've at least rang alarm bells.

His mother had thrown the man a frightening look, and he reluctantly cowered away, to Jisoo's delight.

The houses that lined the street, all so close together you could see your neighbor through the side windows made Jisoo uneasy. Privacy was something he adored, and it seemed like he wouldn't be getting that here. None of the houses had garages, he saw only one with a driveway, which was made up of pebbles. Most of the cars, the few of them that there were, resided on the street, next to parking meters that the time had expired on. 

"Jisoo," his mother took his hand, squeezing it tight. "Are you ready?" The question would've been more suited for herself, Jisoo could see the uneasiness in her eyes, the way she would look back towards the car every few seconds told Jisoo she was more nervous than he was. He took a step forward, making his way to a bleak-looking house that stood in the middle of the street, surrounded on both sides with houses that seemed to dwarf it, he kept his eyes glued to the sidewalk, making sure to avoid the gum and litter. His mother trailed not too far behind him, but far enough away so she had to raise her voice toward him. "Just knock gently on the door, okay sweetie?"

Jisoo steadied his breath, bringing his fist up to the battered-looking door, there had been no doorbell, which Jisoo had never known some houses didn't have. He knocked lightly, and after waiting a few moments, he received no response. He looked towards his mother, uncertain. "W-what should I do? She's not answering." His mother smiled softly, "knock harder, Jisoo."

He knocked a bit harder, wincing as his knuckles grazed the wood. A few seconds later he heard a woman shout, "hold on, I'm coming!"

The door swung open a little too fast for Jisoo, and it hit him square in the face and he heard his mother's worried voice behind him. "Jisoo, are you alright?!" The woman in front of him, who he assumed to be his Aunt Eunji, gave him a glance, her eyes shifted towards Jisoo's mother and she went agape. "That was _today?_ Crap, I forgot." Jisoo rubbed his aching forehead as his Aunt invited them both inside.

The interior of the house wasn't much different compared to the outside. The retro-styled lamp was the only thing that stood out to Jisoo. The vibrant neon yellow and green made his eyes hurt. His Aunt seated them both onto the couch, which Jisoo noticed the tears in the cushion that had been stitched back together. The room was silent for a moment, to long in Jisoo's opinion, before his Aunt broke it. "Jisoo you look a lot like my sister, I'd say even more than I do." Jisoo was baffled by the statement. _That_ was the first thing she had to say?

"I have to take care of you for a little while, right? I'm sure my _big sister_ over there was fretting about it," she gave a coy smirk and Jisoo wondered how she and his mother were so vastly different from each other.

His mother gave him a glance, and the look in her eye told Jisoo that she still didn't completely agree to this. "I wasn't fretting about it," Her tone of voice was one Jisoo hadn't heard before. "I'm just leaving him in your custody because it's the safest option for him!" His mother was yelling at this point and Jisoo felt himself shrink back into the couch, he'd never heard her like this before.

"You never were a good liar, even now your emotions are obvious on your face," he noticed a sort of cruel smirk on his Aunt's face, as if she enjoyed the argument the two women were having.

His mother winced before gripping onto Jisoo's arm and pulling him into a hug. "Promise me you'll be safe, alright?" He hugged her back, tightly. "I promise."

She reluctantly let go, patting Jisoo's head, "I won't be able to see you for a while, so remember to call." She gave one last look towards Eunji before making her way out the door and to the car. Jisoo and his Aunt sat in complete silence until the sound of wheels couldn't be heard anymore.

"Catch," Jisoo instinctively looked up, panicking as a key was thrown towards him. He barely caught it and looked at his Aunt, who held a cup of coffee in her hand, none for Jisoo, of course. He looked at the key then back towards his Aunt. "Why?" He asked. "Spare key, I won't keep you cooped up here the entire time. Go outside, explore the neighborhood, get a girlfriend, do whatever you want, its cool with me. Just don't get arrested, I won't save your ass if you do." Jisoo replayed the statement in his head. Do whatever he wanted? He didn't have a clue what he wanted to do.

"You look just like my sister with that expression. You haven't had your taste of freedom yet" She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and led him towards the door. "How 'bout you go to the thrift store down the street, see if you see anything you like down there, 'kay?" She lightly pushed him out the door, placing some money in his hands. "If you find someone instead of something, feel free to stay at their place, I'll get it." She winked at him before closing the door, leaving Jisoo focused and staring at the money in his hands. He was lucky if he could even buy a pair of socks with it.

* * *

The thrift store was a lot different compared to the stores Jisoo had previously shopped at, even the small clothing store Hansol worked at seemed elegant compared to this. Jisoo wondered if Hansol lived near him, after all he had said that they go to the same school, he had to live somewhere close by. Jisoo looked through the racks of clothing, picking out a shirt which said 'make war not love' on it. The shirt didn't interest him, but before he could put it back, a voice rang out behind him.

"Are you gonna buy that?" Jisoo turned around, coming face to face with a skinny guy who was a lot closer than Jisoo expected. The bandana wrapped around his toned bicep seemed odd to Jisoo. "Huh?" Jisoo couldn't think of anything to say, his mind had been on autopilot. "That shirt," the boy pointed to the fabric in Jisoo's hands, "are you gonna buy that?" Jisoo hurriedly gave him the shirt, "no, here." The boy gave him a blank stare, "thanks." The boy was about to walk away before Jisoo stopped him, lightly grabbing his wrist, to which the boy instantly turned around, pulling his wrist away. "What?" The boy sounded annoyed.

"Um, do you by any chance go to Jesam?" The boy seemed to get a little less defensive, looking Jisoo up and down before responding. "Yeah, why?" "I'll be going there starting tomorrow, I just wanted to get to know people who could help me navigate school. I'm . . . Joshua."

The boy held out his hand, prompting Jisoo to shake it. "I'm Minghao. Whenever I'm actually at school, I'll try showing you around." Jisoo smiled and shook his hand.

"Minghao!" Jisoo jumped at the loud yell that came from the front of the store. A tall boy, who wore a bandana on his bicep like Minghao, was waving over in their direction. "Gotta go, be seeing ya. I'm coming, Mingyu, jeez!" Jisoo watched Minghao leave, and noticed how he hid the T-shirt in Mingyu's bad, not even bothering to pay. So even the people were different here.

* * *

He went back to his Aunt's house, and was greeted by a disappointed look. "What, no girl? Or boy? Anyone? You're as dull as your mother." Jisoo gave her a frown before heading up to the guest room he'd be staying in. At least his Aunt was nice enough to bring his luggage up.

Jisoo rubbed his eyes, it was only 7pm and he was already tired. He _did_ have school tomorrow, so maybe going to bed early would be good for him.

But no matter how much he tried, or how tired he was, Jisoo couldn't fall asleep for hours.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its Jisoo's first day at Jesam and he meets some . . . Interesting people.

The loud banging on his door woke Jisoo up in an instant, not that he slept well anyway. He rubbed his groggy eyes and the voice of his Aunt finally registered into his mind. “Jisoo! Wake up already! You’re already late!” Jisoo paled and sprung up from his bed, dashing to his dresser. How could he be late? Had he forgotten to set his alarm? No, he didn’t _have_ an alarm clock here. Great, it was his first day and he was already late. He riffled through his dresser, grabbing one of the outfits he had bought from the store Hansol worked at. He pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, almost tripping over himself trying to put on his converse.

He raced out of his room to the bathroom, quickly fixing his hair and brushing his teeth, as he raced out the door and down the stairs, he lost his footing and ended up tumbling down them, groaning in pain as he reached the bottom. He rubbed his aching head as he got up and saw his Aunt sitting calmly on the couch, sipping her coffee. “Jisoo, catch,” she threw an object towards him and Jisoo managed to catch it, despite how groggy he still was. He opened the small box that had been thrown at him. Inside was the ring his mother had bought him. He smiled, slipping it onto his finger.

“Go head outside. I got someone to show you how to get to school. Remember, anything you do is fine, just don’t get arrested, ‘kay?” His Aunt made a gesture shooing him out the door. Honestly, what did she think Jisoo would even do? He’d never broken a rule in his life. He opened the door and came face to face with Hansol. A look of surprise came across both of their faces and it was obvious that neither of them was expecting the other. “Jisoo? Huh, when Eunji asked me to show her nephew to school I didn’t expect it to be you,” Hansol looked completely different compared to when he was working in the small clothing store. He looked like less of the aspiring teen and more like the average troublemaker. Jisoo noticed a familiar bandana wrapped around Hansol’s bicep and recognized it as the same one Minghao and Mingyu wore. Did everyone who went to Jesam wear one? That couldn’t be the case, could it?

Jisoo also noticed the name stitched into Hansol’s bandana. _Vernon._ It made him wonder if Minghao and Mingyu had something similar.

Hansol smiled and motioned for Jisoo to follow him. It didn’t take much longer for Hansol to strike up a conversation. He was a lot more talkative than the day they met. Jisoo had unconsciously been zoning out, his grogginess hadn’t worn off and Hansol placing a hand on his shoulder had snapped him out of it. Jisoo gave him a sheepish look, quickly apologizing for not listening. Hansol studied Jisoo’s face for a moment and Jisoo looked around nervously, did he look weird today? “You’re name is _Jisoo_ , right?” The question surprised him and Jisoo’s grogginess seemed to disappear immediately. “Eunji said I’d be showing a guy named _Joshua_ to school. What’s the deal with that?” Jisoo paled, he’d forgotten that his mother had called him by his real name in front of Hansol, Jisoo hoped he would’ve forgotten.

“If I tell you, you have to keep it a secret, okay?” Jisoo brought a finger to his lips, emphasizing the secret part. Hansol nodded, a curious expression on his face. “I’m transferring to this school under a new name and it would be bad if my real name was found out.” Of course, Jisoo wouldn’t tell Hansol the reason he transferred, he didn’t know him that well. He expected Hansol to get angry at him for not explaining the reason he transferred, but the younger boy just nodded. “I get it. Everyone has secrets they don’t want to share, _Joshua_.” Jisoo smiled, thanking him. They both continued their walk, although Jisoo wished Hansol would’ve sped up his pace a bit, they were late, after all.

* * *

Jisoo’s first class was chemistry, which he, sadly, did not share with Hansol. He was also thirty minutes late, which earned him a scolding from the teacher. He made his way to his seat, which had an empty desk next to it. He tried his best to listen to the lecture, even if he was a little lost from arriving in the middle of it. After about fifteen minutes, with maybe ten minutes or less left in the period, the door to the classroom opened and a boy walked in. Like Hansol, he wore a bandana, except his was worn properly around his head. “Seungcheol, I’m glad to see you’re actually here today.” The boy-who Jisoo assumed to be Seungcheol-made a tch sound, rolling his eyes at the teacher and made his way to his seat, which happened to be the one next to Jisoo. He was silent as the boy sat next to him, judging from the way he acted, it would be better if Jisoo didn’t speak to him.

Seungcheol seemed to have different plans, though.

He eyed Jisoo up for about a full minute before speaking to him and it made Jisoo slightly uncomfortable. It reminded him of how the homeless man had looked at him yesterday, the thought of it ran chills down his spine. “You new?” Seungcheol whispered to him, which Jisoo hadn’t expected. “You must be new, I know everyone in this school,” Seungcheol seemed to be talking to himself, even though he was still facing Jisoo’s direction. “Tell me your name,” Seungcheol held out his hand, prompting Jisoo to shake it and the cold feeling of metal that brushed against Jisoo’s hand when he did brought familiar chills. “I-I’m J-Joshua,” Seungcheol seemed to notice his demeanor and retracted his hand, pulling down the sleeve a bit to show Jisoo the cold metal he’d touched. Brass knuckles.

Jisoo was about to question him when Seungcheol put a finger to his lips, eyes darting to the teacher. Jisoo got the message and stayed silent, he was already late, why add more to his delinquency? Although Jisoo intended to pay attention to the teacher for the remainder of the lesson, he found himself looking over at Seungcheol, who was idly looking at the clock. It seemed like Seungcheol was the complete opposite of Jisoo, so why was Jisoo so drawn to him? Jisoo flinched when the bell rang, hurriedly grabbing his bag and making his way to his next class, unaware of the eyes watching him from the back of the room.

* * *

Jisoo had made it through his classes much better than the first one. He’d done his best to be a diligent student and hoped that his lateness today was just a one-time incident. He was making his way to his locker when someone blocked his path. The boy in front of him looked young enough to be a freshman, yet the way he glared at Jisoo warned that he was not to be messed with. Jisoo recognized yet another bandana, worn on the boy’s bicep. The word _Dino_ was written on it in sharpie, unlike how Hansol’s had been stitched. “You,” the boy glared at Jisoo even harder, gripping him by the front of his shirt. “Stay away from our leader. I saw you, just cause you’re new here doesn’t mean you can be friends with just anyone.” Jisoo looked at the boy, nervously. Did no one care what was happening?

Jisoo flinched when the boy grabbed him by his hair, closing his eyes, afraid of what the boy was going to do. “Enough, Chan,” Jisoo opened his eyes, seeing another boy-who Jisoo recognized as Mingyu-with a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Randomly attacking people who have talked to our leader isn’t going to make him accept you. He still thinks you’re too young. Just wait a year,” the boy pouted, letting go of Jisoo’s hair. “Sorry,” he grumbled, eyes downcast to the floor. Mingyu looked at Jisoo with an apologetic gaze. Up close, Jisoo could see Mingyu’s bandana better but was surprised to find that written on it was his name, nothing different. What did the bandanas even mean?

Mingyu caught Jisoo’s gaze and smiled. It seemed different from Seungcheol’s, there was no air of disrespect or superiority, just a genuine smile. “You’re the guy from the thrift shop.” Jisoo smiled back, but it quickly disappeared when he remembered how Minghao had snuck a T-shirt into Mingyu’s bag. Was he aware of it? Jisoo was about to ask, when Mingyu’s cell phone vibrated. “C’mon Chan, we gotta go,” Mingyu turned and Jisoo reached out to stop him. “Um, there’s something I need to talk to you about.” Mingyu sighed, reaching into his pocket. A few seconds later he pulled out a pen, “gimmie your hand,” he ordered. Jisoo obliged, although confused. He felt his fingers twitch at the sensation of the pen writing into his palm. “There,” Jisoo stared at his palm. “What’s this?” He asked. “My number, just text me what you want to talk about later. I’m busy right now.”

Jisoo stared at his palm again, his Aunt was going to have a _lot_ of questions.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How much does everyone miss Jisoo?

Things had been quiet since Jisoo left. Not a single incident had happened, and the principal seemed pleased. Without his grandson, the former bullies had returned to being normal students. The one that had surprised him most was Seungkwan, the boy was the cause of Jisoo’s transfer, yet he never said a single thing about Jisoo’s absence. Perhaps the shock of the situation was still affecting him. Or perhaps, Seungkwan felt something nobody would expect. _Guilt._

* * *

The teacher droned on as Jun idly tapped away on his phone. The game he was playing wasn’t much fun, but it beat having to listen to the explanation of square roots. God, he hated math. Normally, he would’ve spent most of the class period gazing at Jisoo to tick him off, not that it ever really worked as Jisoo tried his hardest to be a diligent student. Sure, Jun could’ve picked anyone else to rile up, but it would be boring. Having things turn out how they would seem to was boring to Jun. What was the point of riling a person up if you knew their reaction? It was one of the reasons Jun teased Jisoo so much, even outside of class, he knew that one day, Jisoo’s reaction would be different, it was a matter of time before that soft exterior broke and Jun would enjoy watching Jisoo’s pacifist nature crumble. Unfortunately, that was no longer something he could look forward to.

His eyes shifted to the opposite corner of the room, Jisoo’s vacant seat seemed to stand out, the color that Jisoo had once brought was gone and the only thing remaining was dull and boring. Sure, Jun was never the kindest person to Jisoo, but a part of him seemed to miss him. Perhaps that’s why Jun felt so utterly bored, without Jisoo, everyone was the same, everything was the same. Jun found himself staring off for much longer than he expected, the teacher clearing his throat was what snapped him out of it. “Jun, if you can’t so much as listen in my class, I think spending your time in detention will help you catch up.” The teacher gave him a stern look, holding out his hand. “And I’ll be taking that,” Jun glared at the man as he handed him his phone. Yet another reason for him to hate math.

* * *

Boredom wasn’t unusual for Wonwoo, it was the reason he spent so much of his time in the library. Normally he knew exactly where to find the books he wanted, he spent so much of his time there that the layout had been permanently engraved into his brain. But today everything seemed different. None of the books were where they should’ve been. It took Wonwoo nearly ten minutes to find a book he would’ve normally found in less than one. Of course, he went to ask the librarian about it but was sure to be kind, after all, it was hard to make sure every single book was exactly where it was supposed to be. She’d given him a sort of solemn look when he’d asked why the shelves were so disheveled. “Normally, Jisoo would organize the shelves for me, as it’s difficult by myself, however with his transfer, I’m having a difficult time finding a replacement. He was a kind boy, it’s a shame he had to transfer.” Wonwoo stared at the woman, puzzled. Jisoo? The boy he’d met the other day? The boy who he’d been told got into the school effortlessly? He hadn’t heard a single person mention Jisoo, so he figured everyone wasn’t too shaken up by it. In fact, everything seemed normal, aside from Seungkwan’s quietness, which nobody could figure out.

“He was the one who helped you organize the shelves?” Wonwoo supposed he should thank Jisoo if he ever saw him again. He might’ve had a bit of a grudge against him but if Jisoo hadn’t been kind enough to organize the shelves, Wonwoo would spend more time trying to find a book than time reading one, so he should at least be a bit grateful for that. “I . . . could help you organize them. I know this library like a second home.” The librarian smiled at him, thanking him while gesturing over to a bookshelf scattered with books. “It would be very helpful to start right away.” Wonwoo nodded, making his way over to the shelf, a small smile on his face. Maybe he would enjoy this, even if the guilt of Jisoo’s transfer lingered in his mind.

* * *

Jihoon sighed as he snapped his fingers in front of Jeonghan for the fifth time. He wouldn’t pay attention, and it was starting to get on Jihoon’s nerves, added to the constant shuffling of books from whoever was organizing the shelves. He hadn’t planned on doing the project with the two of them, he wanted to push most of the work onto Jisoo and believed he was justified doing that. He thought of it as a sort of fulfillment, Jisoo could take the burden of doing a difficult task on his own, just as Jihoon himself had to do to get into the elite school. But now, currently rewriting the same sticky note on one of the 21 types of amino acids, he quickly found himself wishing Jisoo were there. He wouldn’t even mind if he had to do some work. Well, maybe he’d mind a little, but Jihoon would prefer that over now.

“Y’know, we could probably ask Jisoo to help us with this project if we knew where he was,” Jeonghan played with the pen in his hand as he spoke, Jihoon glancing over at him. “The last place you saw him was that clothing store wasn’t it? I doubt he’d be there again.” Jihoon gritted his teeth as Jeonghan flicked the pen towards him. “Watch it!” Jeonghan smirked at him, chuckling. “What about that employee who works there? If we’re lucky, he’ll know where Jisoo is. They seemed to be pretty _friendly_ , after all.” Jeonghan’s voice held a tinge of something Jihoon couldn’t quite identify. “So, you’re plan is to ask him about it, even though there’s not a complete chance he’ll actually know?” Jeonghan smiled, kicking his feet up on Jihoon’s table. “Yep.” Jihoon sighed, forcefully shoving a textbook into Jeonghan’s hands. “Fine, but you’re doing your part in this project first.”

* * *

Seokmin and Soonyoung glanced worriedly over at Seungkwan, who was currently face down at his desk. Normally, Seungkwan was bubbly and talkative, and seeing him like this made the two worry. “Kwannie? What’s wrong?” Seokmin lightly placed a hand on Seungkwan’s shoulder, while Soonyoung brought over a chair to sit on, lightly placing his hand on Seungkwan’s. The younger boy mumbled something the two of them couldn’t understand, and they encouraged him to speak more clearly.

Seungkwan had slowly lifted his head, and the other two immediately noticed his dark eye bags.

Soonyoung was the one who reacted first, the hand holding Seungkwan’s squeezed tightly and worry spread across his face. Seokmin followed, hugging Seungkwan’s shoulders. “What’s wrong?” They heard Seungkwan let out a deep breath before he spoke. “ . . . Do you think it’s . . . _my_ . . . fault Jisoo left?” The two stayed silent, they hadn’t expected that to affect Seungkwan at all, in fact, they expected him to be the _least_ affected by it. “It’s not your fault at all!” Soonyoung was quick to reassure him, although maybe he was trying to assure himself as well. Seokmin nodded his head. Seungkwan gave them a doubtful look and they knew he didn’t believe them. “I just . . . want to apologize to him . . .” They both gave Seungkwan pitiful looks. Deep down, they knew his reason for wanting to apologize. He felt indebted to Jisoo in a way, after all, Seungkwan helped him back then. Perhaps Seungkwan had been angry with Jisoo for forgetting. But karma comes with every bad deed and Seungkwan was getting tired of it.

_“I just want to apologize to him.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm failing like 4 of my online classes so I'm screwed and I might take breaks more frequently to make up work


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisoo has a nightmare.
> 
> But is it really a nightmare?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MENTIONS OF IMPLIED RAPE AND PEDOPHILIA IF THAT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE PLEASE DO NOT READ

In the end, Jisoo didn’t have the courage to text Mingyu. He started at the ink on his hand, of course, his aunt had pestered him about it, but he denied everything she threw at him. So here he was, standing in front of the sink, sponge in hand, yet for some reason, he just _couldn’t_ bring himself to erase the number. Why was he being so difficult with himself? Just _erase_ it.

Defeated, he pulled on his pajamas, ready for a night’s rest before more school the next day.

_Nightmares._

Jisoo didn’t have them all too often, yet when he did they were _agonizing._

Just what part of his brain were they even coming from?

This one happened to be one of the worst.

* * *

_Jisoo was a kid again, maybe eleven or twelve._

_He had friends._

_He also had an adult friend._

_He was his homeroom teacher, he liked Jisoo a lot._

_He gave Jisoo special treatment compared to everyone else in class._

_Most of the kids envied him for that._

_Except one._

_Seungkwan._

_Seungkwan didn’t like their teacher, he always told Jisoo to stay away from him._

_Jisoo ignored Seungkwan’s warning._

_So on the day when that teacher locked Jisoo in the classroom with him, insisted on touching his body, Seungkwan’s warning had started to seep into his mind._

_Unfortunately, Jisoo had realized too late._

_That man was not Jisoo’s ‘friend’._

_By the time Seungkwan managed to break the door open with a fire extinguisher, the damage had been done._

_Seungkwan had managed to knock the man out, horrified at the sight of his pants around his ankles._

_When he turned to look at Jisoo, the older did not speak, he didn’t move, he started up at Seungkwan with eyes that were red, cold, and hollow._

_Seungkwan had reached out to touch Jisoo, to comfort him._

_But Jisoo fearfully swatted him away._

* * *

Jisoo awoke in a cold sweat.

Why had that nightmare felt so _real?_

He looked around, his room was pitch black, not a single fraction of light came through the windows, so he guessed it was anywhere from 12AM to 3AM.

His chest felt tight.

He was struggling to breathe properly.

Was that really just a nightmare?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter because writing a very detailed scene about something like this makes me uncomfortable, I hope you understand. If you noticed, this chapter ties into the last chapter. I intended to make this a slightly darker story from the beginning, I'm sorry if that's not something you all wanted, I also know for the time it took to write this update vs how much I wrote is not very much but I am still very busy with school. I hope you can all understand that. Thank you for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> I normally don't do chaptered fics because I can't keep up with them but I really liked this idea and decided one chapter wouldn't fit it also comments are highly appreciated as they encourage me to write more


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